We’re only ten days into March, yet there’s already quite a bit of splashy, big, and new media to watch.
While last week brought us a new Creed movie and more Star Wars, this week sees the return of the Scream franchise after a successful revival last year, which means we’ve got two heavy hitters in theaters right now to check out. That’s to say nothing of the small screen, where The Mandalorian continues a pace and The Last of Us enters its first season finale. After a three-year hiatus, HBO’s Perry Mason is back to offer more noir goodness for those who want a bit of a crime procedural to sink their teeth into.
With plenty of more big projects on the way throughout the course of March, we’re just getting started. So enjoy this calm (if you can even call it that!) before the storm; here’s what you should watch this week.
'Scream VI'
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When: Friday, March 10
Where: In theaters
What are the rules of a Scream movie in 2023? Now in its sixth installment in almost 30 (!) years, the Wes Craven-created franchise is fully that—a franchise series—carrying with it a certain understanding of what it should or shouldn’t be from installment to installment. After a fresh start with last year’s Scream V, directing duo Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett reunite with writers James Vanderbilt and Guy Busick to bring Ghostface and their new core set of characters back for a chilling new adventure in the Big Apple.
After last year’s grizzly Ghostface killings, Sam (Melissa Barrera) and Tara Carpenter (Jenna Ortega) are looking to reclaim some sort of normalcy in their lives, hoping that a fresh start in NYC can help them move on from the horrors. It’s faring slightly better for Tara than for Sam, the latter of whom is now the subject of online conspiracy theories pointing to her as the killer instead of Richie (Jack Quaid) and Amber (Mikey Madison). This is a Scream movie though, and any sort of peace is only temporary. Soon enough, a deadly new Ghostface (one who isn’t afraid to swap a knife for a shotgun) begins a new killing spree that puts Sam, Tara, Chad (Mason Gooding), Mindy (Jasmin Savoy Brown), and their roommates at risk.
In typical fashion, Scream VI functions as both a whodunnit and a slasher but strongly leans into the former. The resulting decision allows the film to constantly play with expectations to an extremely tense effect—bolstered by the film’s setting. NYC isn’t nearly as spacious as Woodsoro’s idyllic town, allowing for moments like a thrilling late movie set-piece on a train where Ghostface stalks the group. Bettinelli-Olpin and Gillett constantly keep you guessing about the identity of Ghostface while managing to weave a compelling familial thread between Sam and Tara at the center. Speaking of the Carpenter sisters, the franchise couldn’t be in better hands with Barrera (who takes a huge leap here, continuing to struggle with the darkness instead of her) and Ortega (one of our best new young talents) at the helm.
Scream VI is never boring and constantly entertaining, managing to disarm and surprise at every stage. It’s hard to keep any franchise sharp as it goes along, let alone a sixth entry, but make no mistake: Scream VI is one killer entry into the series. —William Goodman
'Perry Mason'
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When: Monday, March 6
Where: HBO Max
You might not remember that HBO is doing a Perry Mason reboot, given that the Matthew Rhys-helmed series initially debuted in the early days of the pandemic. Three years is a long time to be away from a show, but the sophomore season debut of the splashy noir returned earlier this week under new leadership—and feels vigorously re-energized as a result.
The first season of Mason functioned as a premise pilot season, meaning that Mason (Rhys) didn’t practice law until the show’s halfway point. Now, with all pretense gone, we’re right in the thick of Mason as a lawyer. The season two premiere is largely a check-in episode that establishes where Mason, Della Street (Juliet Rylance), and Paul Drake (Chris Chalk) are in the wake of the first season’s big trial. While it’s table-setting, it’s done with such economy and thrilling storytelling that Mason feels like a brand-new show thanks to new showrunners Jack Amiel and Michael Begler of The Knick fame. There’s an immediate improvement on the Della and Paul front, as the two characters become a more critical part of the ensemble instead of being on the outside looking in like they were in the first season.
Mason doesn’t lose its stunning visuals or shadowy ethics with the new creative team, but rather, it becomes a more well-rounded and engaging series—even during its first hour—before setting up its central mystery for the season. While the parts of Mason are still the same, it feels like a whole new machine that’s well worth taking for a spin if you haven’t already. —William Goodman
'MH370: The Plane That Disappeared'
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When: Wednesday, March 8.
Where: Netflix
What happened to Malaysian Airlines Flight 370? Netflix’s latest docuseries attempts to answer the questions people have been asking about the plane’s mysterious disappearance for nearly 10 years. MH370: The Plane That Disappeared explores what happened on the day the flight that vanished over the South China Sea with 239 people aboard. The three-episode docuseries follows Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370, which was on its way to Beijing, and went off the radar shortly after takeoff.
The tragedy has unleashed hundreds of conspiracy theories and stories about what happened and who was to blame, and the docuseries attempts to explain some of them with the help of experts, government officials, and the passengers’ loved ones. If you have been one of the ones constantly asking questions about the jet going missing, check out Netflix’s latest to quell your curiosity.—Karla Rodriguez.
